Break Up With Him
by tvdfanpam
Summary: Song Title Fiction One Shot based on my favorite song at the moment.
1. Chapter 1

Break Up with Him

This is my first attempt at fanfiction. I read it all the time, thought I would try to write it. The idea for this story is from the song "Break Up with Him" by Old Dominion.

Stephanie grabs her ringing phone, looking at the caller ID. "Yo, Batman!"

" Babe."

"What's up?" she says.

"Just wondering how ladies night was going?" He asked.

"Good, good. Connie and Lula are both off dancing, I'm drinking a Margarita!"

"You driving?"

"No, we took a cab."

"Good, hey I'm here at McGills, the new country bar on the edge of Trenton, why don't you girls join us? I'm here with Lester and Tank."

"Who's holding down the fort?" she asked.

"Woody and Hal are on monitor duty tonight."

"I'll just round up the girls, grab a cab and see you soon," she says hanging up the phone.

"They're on their way shortly, he said. Let's keep a low profile 'til they get here. Who wants another beer?"

Stephanie gets Lula and Connie together and they leave the bar and hail a cab. "McGills on Worthington, " she told the cab driver.

They get out of the cab, still buzzed from the margaritas they had earlier and make their way into the bar. They cause quite a stir coming in with Lula in her spandex dress and Connie in her low cut top and Steph in her skinny jeans and FMP's.

Ranger gets up to meet them but before he gets to them, Stephanie spies Joe Morelli sitting at a table along the back wall with Terri Gilman. Joe is so engrossed in what she's saying that he doesn't see Stephanie.

"What the HELL are you doing here? she asks. You said you were out of town for work for two months."

"Hello Cupcake. Fancy seeing you here. I didn't think you liked country music?

"Well, that's neither here nor there. Answer me? Are you on a date with Terri?"

"Well, I…It's like this…" said Joe turning red in the face.

"Don't have much to say for yourself, I see. Well, I'll make it easy for you. We're done. Don't call me again, bring my key by tomorrow and you can get your stuff."

"What are you doing here Steph? You never answered me?"

"I am here to dance with Ranger, goodbye Joe."

And with that statement she grabs Ranger's hand and they go to the dance floor. The band starts playing _I know you ain't in love with him, break up with him_ by Old Dominion.

"How fitting, she says finally. Did you pay them to play this song?"

"Babe!"


	2. Chapter 2

Break Up With Him Chapter 2

The Next Day

 **Thank you everyone who read and reviewed my story. I am not sure where I am going with it yet so bear with me. Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to JE but I enjoy playing with them.**

Stephanie wakes up to a pounding head and someone pounding on her door.

"Cupcake, I know you're in there! Open up!"

He tries to get in but the floor bolt is thrown.

"I have your key and I want to talk to you."

"Okay, okay. Keep your hair on, I'm coming."

She lets him in and goes into the kitchen to make coffee.

Joe sits on the sofa in the living room with his head in his hands. "I'm sorry you had to find out about Terri like that, he said quietly. I know that I needed to break things off with you but I just couldn't hurt you like that."

"So, you cheated on me with Terri and hoped that I wouldn't ever find out? Are you still seeing her?"

"Yes and yes I am. And I don't want to stop seeing her either. It started out innocent six months ago when I called her about a case I was working on and then I kept calling her. You keep me at a distance most of the time and I needed someone to talk to. And she's a really good listener."

"Well, Joe thanks for being honest with me, now GET OUT. I don't want to hear any more."

Tears were dripping down her chin as he let himself out the door quietly.

Stephanie got up and turned off the coffee pot and went back to bed. She got into her thinking position and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke up the second time, she felt him before she opened her eyes.

"What are you doing here Ranger?"

"Babe, I came by to check on you. Are you going to be okay?"

She sits up and tears are still falling. "What's wrong with me? Why does every man I have dated or married for that matter, cheat on me?"

"Because they were losers? Come on Babe, get in the shower and get ready for the day. You need cheering up. We're leaving in 30 minutes."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. But dress for outdoors."

"Okay, Ranger. I'll go get ready."

Thirty minutes later she gave Rex some hamster crunchies and fresh water and walked out of her apartment with Ranger.

They drove to Newark and through a working class neighborhood. There's a beautiful park ahead and they find a place to park the Turbo and get out.

"What are we doing here Ranger?"

"This is the neighborhood park I played in growing up. I always loved coming here. The city hired a landscape architect to design the flower beds. It always made me feel calm and safe. It was a good place to come to after school. I don't know if you know this about me, but I was very small as a boy and I got bullied in school. This park was my escape."

She took his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for telling me that, I had no idea."

They walked around the park for several hours enjoying nature. Ranger turned to Stephanie, "Babe, I brought you here because I want you to know how I feel about you. I haven't had but two relationships in my life. One with Rachel and this one with you. I try to keep you at arms length because I don't think I am good enough for you. I'm dark inside and being around you makes me feel like the sun is shining on me. I love you and have ever since I met you at the diner. I want to be with you if you will have me."

"How do I know you won't drop me when someone else comes along and turns your head?"

"It has been three years and I haven't even looked at other women since I met you."

"So you haven't been with anyone else in three years?"

"No, Babe I haven't. I have been working to get my business going and I still had my government contract to fulfill. But that part of my life is over now as of one month ago."

"I'm glad I won't have to worry about you going in the wind anymore.

If you break my heart, I don't think I could ever get over it."

"Babe, I am serious about you. I have been carrying this around in my pocket for the last year. Would you wear it as my promise to you?" He hands her a small box.

Stephanie looks down at the box in her hand and opens it slowly, her eyes tearing up as she sees what's in there. "You have been carrying this around for a year?"

"Yes, Babe and I hope you will wear it. I bought it after the DeHooch deal."

"Just to be clear, is this a promise ring?"


	3. Chapter 3

Break Up With Him

Chapter 3

I've been waiting for a girl like you

 **Thank you everyone for the reviews, favs and follows. I appreciate the support. I hope you like romantic Ranger.**

"Babe, this ring has an open heart design. It's me opening my heart to you. I've been waiting for the right moment to give it to you. Will you wear it? It's my promise to you that I give my heart to you and only you."

What he doesn't say is that she's had it since he met her.

He takes it out of the box and puts it on her left ring finger. He smiles in satisfaction when she leaves it on.

"What do I tell people when they ask me about this ring?"

"Tell them I gave it to you because I love you and want you to have a symbol of my love. You've been known on the streets as my woman for a long time, now it's official. Babe, I'm a jealous and possessive man. I want everyone to know that we are together now."

Including Joe Morelli, he thinks to himself.

"Ok, Batman." She leans up on her tiptoes and kisses him softly on the lips.

 _A/N I am making a pinterest page for this story. Did anyone notice the 80's song reference? We'll hear more from Stephanie next chapter._


	4. Chapter 4

Break Up With Him

Chapter 4

Dinner with the Family

 **Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, the credit goes to JE but I love playing with them.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews and comments about the last chapter. To clarify, Ranger meant that Stephanie had captured his heart when he met her at the diner.**

"How about we make our Burg debut as a couple at my parents' house tonight for dinner? If we leave now, we can make it with five minutes to spare. I'll just call my mom and let her know we are coming."

"Sounds great, Babe."

Ranger is in his zone while driving back to Trenton. Stephanie sits beside him listening to the classical music playing softly on the stereo. She opens her eyes when Ranger touches her hand.

"We're here Babe. Ready for this?"

She looks up and sees her mom and Grandma Mazur standing at the door waiting for them. She takes a deep breath and says, "Yes."

"Grandma, mom, this is Carlos Manoso, my boyfriend."

"It's nice to meet you Carlos, please come in. I hope you like baked chicken and roasted vegetables."

"Thank you, Mrs. Plum. It sounds great, that's one of my favorite meals."

"Ain't he a pip!" says Grandma Mazur to Stephanie.

They walk into the house and go to the living room. "Dad, I'd like you to meet Carlos Manoso, my boyfriend."

"Sir, it's nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you from Stephanie."

"Dinner's ready everyone, let's eat. "

They follow Helen into the dining room and Ranger sits beside Stephanie which is thankfully across the table from Grandma Mazur and her roaming hands. Dinner goes off without a hitch with everyone on their best behavior. Following dessert of Pineapple Upside cake, Stephanie and Ranger get up to leave.

"Thanks for dinner, Mrs. Plum, it was delicious."

"Thanks for the cake, mom. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye grandma, bye daddy!"

"Bye Pumpkin, see you tomorrow."

They drive back to Stephanie's apartment and park the turbo in a spot right by the door. Ranger gets out and goes around and opens the door for Steph.

"Let me carry your leftovers Babe."

"Thanks Batman!"

They walk in the building and get in the elevator. When they get to the third floor, they get off and Ranger walks to the door and opens it with Stephanie's key. He checks her apartment for intruders, stalkers, etc.

"All clear, Babe. He turns to her and takes her in his arms. I will see you tomorrow. I have a late meeting with Tank." He kisses her softly on the lips and gives her a hug. "Sweet dreams, Babe. Love you."

"Goodnight Batman, love you too!"

 ****Mature Subject Matter****

Stephanie locks her door and throws the floor bolt before heading to the bathroom to wash off her makeup and brush her teeth. She can't stop smiling or looking at her ring. She looks at the time and grabs her phone and takes a picture of her new ring and sends it with the message:' Look what I got' to her best friend Mary Lou.

Exactly 30 seconds later her phone rings. Guess who? "Hi Mary Lou." She is squealing, "Who gave you that ring. It's beautiful!"

"Ranger gave it to me, we're dating now." More squeals.

"That's really sudden, isn't it? I know you were on the outs with Joe, but Ranger must be wanting to mark his territory."

"I guess you could say that. He said he loves me and has had this ring for a while. He was just waiting for me to end things with Joe. Maybe I should thank Terri!"

"Have you told Ranger what happened with Joe?"

"No, I'm not sure how to bring it up. Joe doesn't even know, he was drunk and doesn't remember."

"You need to tell Joe why you were keeping your distance from him for the last six months. He deserves to know. He may be following in his father's footsteps after all."

"Well, it was easy most of the time because he's been working undercover on his big case. The rest of the time, I told him I was working. We would meet up at Pino's for lunch mostly. How do you tell someone that supposedly loved you that he tried to force himself on you and choked you while doing it? If he hadn't passed out when he did, I don't know if I would still be alive. If I tell Ranger what happened, I'm afraid he will kill Joe. And I know Joe's been trying to stop drinking. It's like he knows he loses control."

"Well, he'll find out about you and Ranger soon, so prepare yourself. Goodnight Steph."


	5. Chapter 5

Break Up With Him

Chapter 5

The Visitor

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, not making money on this story.**

Ranger leaves Steph's apartment and drives over to Joe Morelli's house. He pulls in behind Joe's truck so he can't sneak out the back door and leave. He gets out of the Turbo and Joe is at the door waiting.

"What the HELL are you doing here?"

"I just need five minutes of your time. Can I come in?"

"Be my guest, he says opening the door. Have a seat."

"No, this won't take long. I just wanted to tell you to stay away from Stephanie. I know you have been stalking her."

"Oh, did your goon squad rat me out?"

"No, I saw you. You weren't exactly subtle."

"I may not be with her anymore, but I still love her."

"Well, she's with me now, so you can back off!"

"You set me up and moved in on my woman!"

"You were out with another woman, you set yourself up. Plus we both know that you have multiple women. Terri's not the only one you had on the side. Everyone knew except Steph."

"I'll just give her time to get over seeing me with Terri and then I'll call her. We might be apart right now, but we'll get back together."

"I don't think so. If you pursue her, I will make sure she finds out about your baby mama."

"WHAT, you F***er!" Joe charges Ranger and knocks him down, punching him in the side. Ranger gets a punch to the face in on Joe.

Two big black hands grab Ranger. "Let's go, fighting solves nothing. You don't want to go to jail tonight for assaulting an officer." Tank hauls Ranger up and out the door before Joe has a chance to say anything.

"What were you thinking? he asks Ranger as he shoves him into his truck. Lester will take the Turbo back to Rangeman."

"I was thinking that I wanted him to know that I got the girl!"


	6. Chapter 6

Break Up With Him

Chapter 6

Confessions

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, don't get paid to write this.**

 **Thank you everyone who is following this story and reviewing.**

Tank takes Ranger back to the Rangeman building and they park and get out. Tank tells Ranger he should take a cold shower and cool down and meet him on the mats at 0500 tomorrow.

The next morning, Stephanie calls Ranger. " Yo, Batman! Do you want to meet for lunch today, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, I need to talk to you too. Meet me here on seven and Ella will make lunch."

"Sounds good. See you then." Steph hangs up the phone and jumps in the shower after feeding Rex. She dresses in a red stretchy tee shirt and jeans and fixes her hair and makeup. She grabs her black Coach bag and her phone and heads out the door.

 _I have time to stop at mom and dad's house before meeting Ranger for lunch, she thinks_. She swings by there and parks in the drive way and waves to her mom and grandma who are waiting at the door.

"We were hoping you would come by here today. The phone has been ringing off the hook all morning. Have you heard the news?" said Grandma Mazur.

"What news?" she asks.

"Ranger and Joe Morelli came to blows last night! she said. Your mother has ironed all the laundry this morning."

"Why would they come to blows? asked Stephanie. Where did they see each other?"

"Ranger stopped by Joe's house last night after he dropped you off at your apartment. Told him you two were together and to stop stalking you. You need to ask Ranger what else was said. I think there was more to the story."

"Why do you think that? Do you know something you aren't telling me?"

"Mabel Markowitz' daughter was walking her dog down Joe's street and couldn't hear anything else because a really big black man shut the front door then a few minutes later was seen dragging Ranger out."

"That was probably Tank, I wonder why he was there?"

"Don't know, but he probably saved Ranger from being arrested for assaulting an officer of the law."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum, how could you embarrass me like this? I thought I raised you better than that!" said Helen Plum.

"Why are you blaming me for this?"

"Everybody knows that they were fighting over you!"

"Well, I am having lunch with Ranger today, I'll find out what happened. In the meantime, take your phone off the hook if you don't want to be on it all day."

Stephanie drives over to Joe's house after leaving her mom and dad's house. His truck is still there so she parks and goes up to the front door and knocks.

"Joe, it's me, Steph. I need to talk to you. Please open the door!"

"What do you want Cupcake? Come here to gloat?" he says opening the door and letting her in.

"No, I need to talk to you. Do you have a minute?"

"Last time I said yes, I got punched in the face." He says trying to crack a joke.

Steph goes in the living room and sits down on the sofa. Bob runs over to her and starts sniffing her and wagging his tail. "Hi Bob, miss you boy." She takes a big breath and says, Joe, I need to tell you about something that happened six months ago."

"Why are you just now telling me something that happened that long ago?"

"Because I think you need to know, I tried to forget it but I can't. Remember we had been watching the ballgame on TV and you had already had a 12 pack of beer? That was the day after you sprained your ankle chasing after a suspect and was home recovering."

"Yes, I remember being home and bored out of my mind, I might have had a 12 pack; yeah okay I remember."

"You were feeling frisky and you were a little out of it. You were slurring your words. Well, I told you that you needed to sleep it off and you told me to take my clothes off. I told you no, not now and you grabbed me by the throat and tried to force yourself on me. I couldn't breath and I couldn't get you off me. Luckily for me, you passed out then. You scared me so bad that I jumped up and ran out of there and left you on the sofa."

"Stephanie, I am so sorry! Is that why you have been so distant with me since then?"

"Yes, it is. I couldn't risk you doing that again. I had a big bruise on my neck for a week. Good thing it was winter so I could wear a scarf. After that, I decided that I couldn't be with you anymore but I was afraid to break it off with you for fear you would do something like that to me again. You have been so busy with work that we hadn't had a lot of time together since then. I wonder now if you were with Terri when you said you were working."

He starts to squirm and can't look her in the eye. "Maybe I was with Terri more than I was working, I thought you were working a lot too; you said you were. Does that mean you were with Ranger when you said you were working?"

"No, I haven't been with anyone in the last six months."

"I'm sorry Stephanie, but there is more to tell you." He sits with his head in his hands. " I found out a year ago that I have a child with Robin Russell. I had a brief fling with her when we were on an off phase of our relationship. We spent a lot of time together working a case and one thing led to another."

"I guess I am the last to know this? Is there more you want to tell me?" She asks as tears fall down her face.

"Just that I am so sorry, I don't know what else to say."

"You're a pig! I don't want to ever see you again." She stands up and holds out her hand. " Oh, I want to show you my new ring. Ranger gave it to me! He promised to love me and me only. You never promised me that!"

"You wouldn't accept a ring from me, you would hyperventilate when we talked about getting married."

"I guess because deep down, I knew that you weren't the right man for me. Goodbye Joe." She gets up and tries to get to the door.

Joe blocks the door, and smiles sickly at her. "Where do you think you are going? We're not done here."

"Yes, we are. Now get out of the way, I'm leaving." He tries again to stop her but she stomps down on his foot and he lets out a howl.

"Damn it, this is not over!" He says to her as she runs out the door and gets in her car.

She makes it around the corner and is shaking so bad that she has to pull over. She nearly jumps out of her skin as somebody knocks on her window.

"Is everything okay Steph?" Asks Hal from Rangeman. " We were in the neighborhood on patrol and we saw your car parked here."

She is about to pass out from the adrenaline crash. "No, it's not. Could you take me to Rangeman, I need to talk to your boss."


	7. Chapter 7

Break Up With Him

Chapter 7

I wasn't expecting that

 **I heard a new song today by Jamie Lawson,** _ **Wasn't expecting that**_ **and it inspired me to write this chapter. I hope you have a chance to listen to it, it will make you cry. Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I don't make any money off this story.**

Hal takes Stephanie back to Rangeman on Haywood Street and pulls in an empty spot by the elevator. "Will you be okay going up by yourself, Steph?" Says Hal.

"Yes, I'm better now, thanks for the ride."

She gets in the elevator and goes to seven to wait for Ranger in his apartment. It isn't long before she hears the door open and he comes in. "Saw you get on the elevator, are you okay Steph?"

"I don't know anymore. I just came from Joe's house and I told him some things and then he told me some things, and then he tried to stop me from leaving…" she takes a shaky breath and wipes the tears from her eyes.

Ranger goes to the sofa where Stephanie is laying and picks her up and sits her on his lap. He puts his arms around her and smells her hair. It has a calming effect on both of them. She starts to relax. They sit there for a few more minutes before anyone speaks.

"There is something I need to tell you Ranger. Please don't react, it's over now and I just want to put it behind me." She takes a deep breath and starts talking.

"Then today after I told him what had happened six months ago, he tells me that he had a baby with Robin Russell a year ago. She moved to Philadelphia almost two years ago, I had no idea she had a baby. They aren't together, it was a short fling. Joe goes and sees his son at least once a month. He was lying to me almost from the beginning of our relationship. I feel so used."

"Babe, I will never do that to you. Please know that. I know we have only been together a short time but I still can't believe that you want to be with me. What did I do right to deserve someone like you? If I could take away your pain I would. I love you and someday I want to marry you. I don't want to scare you away but you make me feel things that I never thought I could."

"Can I call you Carlos? Ranger seems so impersonal. If I am going to be your wife someday, I want to get really personal with you," she says with a smile.

"Babe, if you marry me, you can call me anything you want!"

Ranger carries Steph into the bedroom and lays her down on the bed. She doesn't wake up. He walks out of the bedroom and shuts the door quietly. Taking out his cell phone, he texts Tank. _Meeting on five in the conference room in 10 minutes, core team members._

He walks into the conference room and shuts the door. Lester, Tank and Bobby look at him expectantly. "I want surveillance on Morelli until further notice. He has been abusive to Stephanie twice now and I don't know what he will try next. Also, I want someone to follow her when she leaves here, covert. I will tell her, just not yet. I want to see what Joe does. Any questions? No, okay. Meeting adjourned."

After they leave, Ranger takes out his phone and calls Joe Juniak, the Trenton Police Chief. "Joe, Hi, It's Carlos Manoso, I wanted to talk to you about one of your detectives, Joe Morelli. Great, I'll see you in an hour."


	8. Chapter 8

Break Up With Him

Chapter 8

Gossip

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I don't make any money off this story. I do however, enjoy reading your reviews!**

Stephanie opens her eyes and realizes she been sleeping in Ranger's bed. She gets up and wanders into the living room and then into the kitchen. No one is there so she goes back to the bedroom and gets her shoes on and grabs her bag and heads out of the apartment. She goes down to five and steps onto the control room floor. Several pairs of eyes turn to her. She does a little finger wave. "Umm, is Ranger here?"

"No, Steph, he had a meeting. He said to tell you he will be back by 1800 hours if you want to have dinner with him on seven." Said Hal.

"Okay, I'll be going then. I assume my car is in the garage?"

"Yes, and here are your keys. See you later." Says Hal turning back to the monitor.

She leaves Rangeman and goes back to her apartment. There are several messages waiting for her on her home phone. Most of them are from her mother so she deletes them. There are several from her on her cell phone as well. "I guess I will get this out of the way and call her now," she says to Rex.

"Hi Mom. I see you called, did you need something?"

"Yes, I was calling to see if you heard the news about Joseph?"

"Is this new since this morning?"

"Yes, he is transferring to the Philadelphia Police Department, he just found out today."

"I see. Well, if he is there then he can't keep trying to get me to marry him."

"And, your cousin Shirley the whiner may be pregnant, she bought another pregnancy test this morning. Carla Mangione's daughter Simone got a job as a supervisor at the Personal Products plant and someone donated dashboard cameras to all the police cars at the Trenton PD today."


	9. Chapter 9

Break Up With Him

Chapter 9

More Confessions

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I don't get paid to write this story. I just enjoy playing with Ranger and Steph.**

Ranger gets back to the Rangeman building and immediately goes to his apartment on seven. He can feel her before he sees her; she is sitting on the sofa reading a book and listening to music. "I like you being here when I get home from a long day," he says smiling and walking over to her.

"How was your day dear?" she asks putting her book down and standing up. She leans in and kisses him on the lips.

"Better now. Are you ready to eat, I bet you're starving." The words weren't hardly out of his mouth before her stomach lets out a loud roar. " Let's feed the beast, Babe."

"I set the table and the food is ready to serve. Would you uncork the wine? Thanks!"

They have a relaxing dinner and then put the dishes in the dishwasher in the kitchen. "Let's take the rest of our wine into the living room."

They sit on the sofa and he takes her wine glass and sets it down beside his on the coffee table. "Babe, I have a confession to make: I saw Joe with Terri at the bar. That's why I called you to come join us."

"News flash, Batman, I already knew he was out on a date with her. My grandma called me and told me she saw them together at Rossini's earlier. She was there with her new 'hottie'. Why do you think I was drinking Margaritas? I'm glad you invited us to join you, otherwise I wouldn't have seen your hot dance moves!"

"I have some more moves I can show you, come with me." He leads her to the bedroom and gives her a panty melting kiss.

The End

Thank you everyone who read my first story. I had so much fun writing it that I may have to write a sequel.


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